PICTURE BOOKS

Meet the Smushkins

by Claudia Rueda (text) & illus. by Claudia Rueda
Candlewick. Dec. 2025. 40p. Tr $17.99. ISBN 9781536236583. PreS-Gr 1
COPY ISBN
PreS-Gr 1–Smushkins are unusual, colorful creatures—with huge eyes, two legs, and features that seem part human and part animal. But that’s not the point here. The point is that they are looking for a house and this book explains what features they are looking for and why. They want a house filled with light, an apple tree so that they can make apple pie, a hill for a picnic, and so on. They have a lot of preferences, but in the end, they conclude that the best house is full of Smushkins. Are they related? Young listeners and readers might discuss that finding the right house—the main idea of the book—depends on a number of factors. Or, they might consider the impact of a cumulative story that adds many criteria for finding the right house.
VERDICT While the illustrations are intriguing and raise many questions, it is also easy to get derailed among the unusual characters and their goals. The forthcoming books in the series should reveal more.
Reviewed by Myra Zarnowski , May 31, 2025

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